A new scientific method can determine which nature in Africa is best suited for tourism. A scientist from the University of Twente ITC faculty, together with international colleagues, investigated how often African animals appear on the photo-sharing platform Flickr. They used this to determine the popularity of these animals and then examined in which nature reserves they are found. In this way, they identified which protected nature reserves have the greatest potential for nature tourism. They also looked at the (protected) status of these areas and management plans for conservation. It appears from the research that many protected areas are very suitable for nature tourism, without clashing with existing plans for nature conservation. The results of their research were recently published in PLOS ONE.
Popular animals
One of the UT scientists involved in the research was Dr. Louise Willemen: "We assume that the popularity of animals is a good benchmark for the attractiveness of a region for tourists. Photos of animals posted online are a good way of measuring nature tourism because they show which animals people like to photograph, which animals are visible at the right moments, and which animals are recognizable. We know that these three factors play an important role in nature tourism." Lions, elephants and leopards appear to be the three most popular animals for tourists.
Popular nature reserves in Africa
The list complied by the researchers is accessible for everyone. Here you'll find a map and can select, for example, the top 10 or top 20 nature reserves in Africa and see which animals are found there. Useful when preparing for your holiday to Africa. You can also see in the table how many photos from that area are posted on Flickr. Samburu National Reserve in the middle of Kenya has the most popular animals. Willemen: "The list is a good indication, but factors such as accessibility, facilities and safety determine whether an area is really suitable."
Safari for protected animal species
In Africa, looking at wild animals is the most popular activity for nature tourists. Nature tourism is a major source of income to finance conservation. Willemen: "The problem with this is that the animals that are the most popular with tourists, generally do not need the most urgent protection. While endangered species need the most money to protect them. A system is needed for this whereby the money earned by the parks with many common popular animals is shared with the parks with lesser known endangered species."
About ITC
Louise Willemen works for the Natural Resources department. She performs research into the value of nature for humans: how does nature contribute to our well-being? The Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) is one of the University of Twente faculties. The ITC performs research and provides lecturing in the field of geo-information science and earth observation, with an emphasis on applications in developing countries. Students from all over the world come to the ITC to attend the degree programmes on offer. The objective of the ITC's activities is the international exchange of knowledge, aimed towards capacity building and institutional development in developing countries and emerging economies.
